Iraqi Refugees Complicate Syria's Position

DAMASCUS - Syria's decision to accept Iraqi refugees streaming into the country
has brought the government of President Bashar Assad more power within Syria
and the region, but at significant cost.

The ministry of interior in Syria estimates the total number of Iraqi refugees
to be around 1.5 million.

The Syrian government has maintained an "open door" policy toward
Iraqi refugees, unlike neighboring Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, who have
been far less welcoming.

This appears to have earned Assad renewed political power within his country.
That position, topping his strong stance against U.S. policy in Iraq, has won
him support in the wider Arab world as well.

The new support seems to be holding so far despite the negative aspects of
the refugee crisis, such as homelessness, inflation, unemployment, and a huge
shift in the social dynamics in the country.

"The Syrian government is becoming more powerful because they are helping
the Iraqis by allowing them refuge here in a way that other countries did not,"
Hassan Maho, a 33-year-old jeweler, told IPS. "Politically, the government
of Bashar Assad now has more power than these other countries in the region."

Mazen, a 31-year-old trader in downtown Damascus, believes Syria has gained
from a failed U.S. policy in Iraq. "The American policy in Iraq is making
Syria more powerful," he told IPS. "Doesn't the whole world see this?"

The Bush administration pressure on Bashar Assad, accusing him of supporting
terrorism in Iraq, has in fact only "strengthened Syria's political hand
in the region," Mazen said.

In 2003 the Bush administration brought in the Syrian Accountability Act, which
was passed by Congress, and has been renewed every year since 2004. The act
outlaws commerce between the U.S. and Syria.

The Bush administration has recalled its ambassador to Syria, and marginalized
Syria's emissary in Washington. U.S. officials continue to say Damascus is supporting
Iraqi insurgents.

Members of the Bush administration also regularly accuse Syria of interference
in Lebanese affairs.

But Peter Harling, Damascus representative of the International Crisis Group,
said the Syrian government is unlikely to be aiding insurgents in Iraq.

"They [the Syrian government] have absolutely no interest in fueling violence
in Iraq, because it is now threatening them," he told IPS. "You might
still have informal networks facilitating border crossings for militants, but
the countries' leaders feel extremely concerned with the situation in Iraq and
do not wish to do anything to increase the violence and chaos there."

Harling believes that any political gains for the Syrian government have likely
been outweighed by their negative consequences.

"Politically, it [the U.S. occupation of Iraq] could have had a positive
effect [for Syria] because one could argue that it is now easier for the Syrian
government to justify postponing democratic reform," Harling said. "But
simultaneously, the growing civil war in Iraq has become such a threat to Syria,
and the costs are so high that it is quite possible they've negated any benefits
for the Syrian government."

He added that "Syria is in a precarious situation because of the American
occupation of Iraq, and it is probably safe to say that Syrian officials are
all too aware of this."

Many Syrians, however, have a different perspective.

"The government here dealt with the refugee crisis in a very good way,"
Mahmoud Omeri, who owns a communication business in the capital city, told IPS.
"When the government accepted the Iraqis here with an open door policy
they increased the pressure on the Americans, because it showed the world the
Syrian government cares more about the Iraqis than do the Americans."

Kaldoon Safi, a business owner in downtown Damascus, said the Syrian government
had made refuge easier for fleeing Iraqis in order to gain support for their
own political position in the region. "This way they have become more powerful
in the Middle East at this time."

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Dahr Jamail writes about the
effects of the US occupation on the people of Iraq, since the mainstream
media in the US has in large part, he believes, failed to do so.

Dahr has spent a total of 5 months in occupied Iraq, and plans
on returning in October to continue reporting on the occupation.
One of only a few independent reporters in Iraq, Dahr will be using
the DahrJamailIraq.com
website and mailing list to disseminate his dispatches and will
continue as special correspondent for Flashpoints Radio.

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